Canadian Cowboy Country October/November 2022

October/November 2022 Vol. 26, No. 3

Proud Member of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame

Publisher Rob Tanner rob@cowboycountrymagazine.com

Editor Terri Mason terri@cowboycountrymagazine.com

Field Editor Craig Coulliard craig@cowboycountrymagazine.com

Art Director Shannon Swanson shannon@cowboycountrymagazine.com

Sales Manager Kristine Wickheim kristine@cowboycountrymagazine.com

Subscription/Circulation Marie Tanner circ @cowboycountrymagazine.com

Accounting/Administrator Marie Tanner admin@cowboycountrymagazine

Editorial Intern Chelsey Becker editorial@cowboycountrymagazine.com

Columnists

Dylan Biggs, Tim Ellis, Hugh McLennan, Billy Melville, Greg Shannon, Bryn Thiessen

Contributors

Taste Alberta, Craig Couillard, CrAsh Cooper, Charles (Badger) Clark, Daryl Drew, Tim Ellis, Andrew Exelby, Tim Lasiuta, Barb Poulsen, Tom Reardon

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Canadian Cowboy Country makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

This magazine is a proud member of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association, and Magazines Canada, abiding by the standards of the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors. Visit albertamagazines.com

“This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.” «Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.»

BY BILLIE-JEAN DUFF.

Let’s Make Some Champions!

Logan Hay, minutes after setting a new world record score in the bronc riding at the fabulous Hardgrass Bronc Match in downtown Pollockville, Alta. The Wildwood, Alta., cowboy scored 95.5 pts on Calgary Stampede’s X-9 Xplosive Skies . That’s me, thoroughly dishevelled and thrilled beyond belief for the young cowboy. For Hay, Pollockville pays off like a slot machine after winning the huge $20,000 raffle a couple of years ago, a big cheque the following year, and now, setting the record book on fire.

This is one of my favourite times of the year; a hush has fallen over the lands, the birds have migrated, the fish have dived deep, and the deer and elk are finely-attuned to every branch snap. This is the pause between summer and winter, and it’s almost time for the annual guessing game of “When should I put on the snow tires?”

It’s also the time of year to make some champions.

The Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer, Alta. will determine the 2022 Canadian Champions. The Maple Leaf Circuit Finals in Regina, Sask., will determine the cham pions to represent Canada at the 2023 NFR Open (formerly the National Circuit Finals) in Colorado Springs, Co, and the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas will determine the 2022 World Champions. No matter what, if you can only attend one or all, you’ll see a bunch of Canadians. Talk about a year of riding high!

If you’ve read this far, then you’ve already seen the delightful Amber Mar shall on the cover. Her commitment

to authenticity in the international hit Heartland is well-known, and in fact, you’ll delight in some of the skills she has learned. Who taught her? She was under the tutelage of the only Canadian who has won the very prestigious PRCA Bill Linder man Award three times and who is also the four-time Canadian All Around Champion — the talented Tom Eirikson.

As for the magazine — well, it’s simply a marvelous issue, with people you love to watch on screen, newcomers, oldtimers, artists, and a few kids who I suspect could someday be a World Champion. We’ve got outlaws, cattle, and plenty of cowhands. In short, it’s everything you want in Canada’s greatest Western magazine — Canadian Cowboy Country.

Editor

Terri Mason,

PHOTO

DR DARYL DREW

Outlaw Trail, "Bat" Masterson, page 26 Daryl is an Old West historian, horse trainer and cowboy action shooter. His meticulous research included riding the trails of Butch Cassidy and Billy the Kid. Daryl is a frequent contributor to many fine Western publications, including Canadian Cowboy Country

DYLAN BIGGS

Cowboy Way Pasture Doctoring, page 53

For over 20 years, Dylan has travelled extensively, sharing his knowledge of low-stress cattle handling with producers through livestock handling demonstrations. Dylan, his wife Colleen and their children own TK Ranch near Hanna, Alta.

DIANNE FINSTAD

Rodeo Life

Cowboy Benevolent Foundation, page 44

With more than 30 years behind the rodeo chutes, that’s still Dianne’s happy place, covering the sport she loves best. The muchfeted reporter is an inductee into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

SCAN

Courage to Change

Hello Rob, Marie, Terri & the staff at CCC magazine;

This is just a note to tell you that the new cover-design (Aug/Sept - Billy the Kid) is

marvelous. Crisp, clean and highly modernized, it is an immediate attention grabber on the store-magazine stand.

I was in a major grocery store in front of a large magazine display looking for the newest copy of CCC magazine when a cool-looking cover ('Cowboy') caught my eye.

I thought it was a new entry into the cowboymagazine genre. It wasn't until I actually picked it up that I realized that it was the old favorite that I had been searching for.

Congratulations for having the courage to change.

We didn’t want to completely de-church the magazine, so you can still get some church in by reading Bryn Thiessen’s column, Reflections.

Bryn has often said he has a “jack pine degree in theology.” The popular preacher is also licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and is a fun visit.

Terri Mason

Cowboy Churches?

I just want to make sure that all of our readers know that we haven’t stopped promoting going to church, hanging out with church people or cowboy church locations, we’ve simply moved the church listings to our webpage at CowboyCountryMagazine.com.

Liz Twan Springhouse, Williams Lake, BC

Cochrane Cowboy Church pastor, Bryn Thiessen

Quality hand crafted hats for over 100 years.

IN THE CORRAL

//// EVENTS & HAPPENINGS ACROSS THE WEST ////

P.12

CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOL RODEO FINALS

PHOTO BY WILDWOOD IMAGERY/CHANTELLE BOWMAN.

Lila Mastad of Pleasantdale, Sask., competing in Pole Bending at the Canadian High School Rodeo Finals in Swift Current

STOCKING THE HERD LEST WE FORGET

VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY

JACKSON JOHN GRANT

Congratulations to Morgan and Gillian Grant on the birth of their son, Jackson John, born at 8:00 PM on July 4, 2022. He weighed 10 lbs 5 oz. Jackson’s dad, Morgan, is a double threat in the arena as a tie-down roper and steer wrestler; he is a three-time Canadian High Point Champion. Jackson’s mom, Gillian, is 2013 Miss Rodeo Canada and the Rodeo Coordinator for multiaward-winning C5 Rodeo. Jackson is a younger brother to Lachlan.

ACROSS THE HIGHWAY from the famed “Cactus Corner” near Hanna, Alta., runs the Veterans Memorial Highway. The Special Areas committee joined forces and created a terrific rest area with washrooms, picnic areas and a peaceful rest site for travellers.This well-maintained site is located east of Hanna, on what was previously known as Alberta Provincial Highway No. 36, officially renamed Veterans Memorial Highway. The 679-km, north-south highway in eastern Alberta extends from Highway 4 near Warner to Highway 55 in Lac La Biche, touching on the towns of Two Hills, Hanna, Viking, Castor, Taber and Brooks. The highway was renamed Veterans Memorial Highway in 2005, the Year of the Veteran.“Alberta’s veterans are extraordinary Cana dians who have stepped forward to serve their nation, and they deserve our thanks, respect and remembrance,” said the late Premier Ralph Klein. “This highway is a lasting tribute to the men and women who have fought to defend this province, our country and our freedom, and who continue to risk their lives in peacekeeping activities around the world.”This photo was taken in 2022 by the editor, Terri Mason, the youngest daughter of a Royal Canadian Air Force veteran.

HELP AT HAND

THE ALBERTA FARM Animal Care (AFAC) outfit has real help for stranded livestock haulers.

With summer now a sweat-soaked memory, it’s difficult to remember just how hot it was a few short months ago. But imagine the heat gener ated by a load of cattle or horses (any livestock, really) in a trailer in +35C temperatures. It’s critical to get moving because, without airflow, it makes heat stroke and death a certainty.

To help in an emergency, AFAC has dotted Alberta with 18 emergency trailers (plus one dedicated to the SPCA), connected through an anony mous producer-helping-producer call line.

How it works is simple; call 911, request the Emergency Livestock Handling Equipment Trailers, and AFAC will coordinate for another trailer to go to the breakdown. The animals are off-loaded and re-loaded onto a working vehicle — in an amazingly short time.

In the rare event that 911 cannot connect you to the Emergency Livestock Handling Equipment Trailers, contact the AFAC ALERT Line at 1–800–506–2273.

Currently, this program is not officially available in B.C. or Saskatchewan. However, a call to 911 in those provinces brings out some darn good help.

For more, including winter hauling information, visit afac.ab.ca

Willie Crosina

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. 1924–2022

Rodeo Legend Willie Crosina was predeceased in 2021 by his wife, Terry, also recognized as a Rodeo Legend.

Willie was a founding father of the British Columbia Rodeo Association (BCRA) and was a director of the Williams Lake Stampede and the Williams Lake High School Rodeo Association. In 2019, he was honoured as the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Committee Member of the Year.

Clayton Darrell Hines

DRAYTON VALLEY, ALTA. 1958–2022

Two-time Canadian Saddle Bronc Champion (1981 & 1985), Clayton enjoyed a long career riding bucking horses on the pro circuit in the U.S., and Canada. After retiring from pro rodeo, Clayton turned his skills to showing non-pro in Reined Cowhorse events.

In 2010, Clayton was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Donnie Peterson

MCCORD, SASK. 1951–2022

Donnie was a Centennial Award of Merit recipient and owner of two-time World Bareback Horse of the Year title winner (H-1 High Chaparral pictured above) and Canadian Bareback Horse of the Year (X23 Coyote). Don was a rodeo stock contractor, rodeo chairman, and a member of many boards ranging from Agribition to Saskatchewan Surface Rights. He was a rancher, teamster and lifelong horseman.

SCOTT & COSTNER

THE CALGARY STAMPEDE’S exclusive Parade Marshall Club has welcomed some western icons over the years, including Roy Rogers, Sam Elliott, Iris Glass, Darryl Sutter, and in 2022, John Scott and Kevin Costner.

Both men have been instrumental in the movie business, especially Western movies. For the few people who might not know this, John Scott almost single-handedly built Alberta’s film industry. For Kevin Costner, Yellowstone aside, his involvement in film clas sics Dances With Wolves and Open Range earned him a permanent place in the hearts of Westerners.

“It was a good visit with Kevin,” said Scott in an interview. “He’s very polite and very nice. It was very noisy because there were over 300,000 people on the parade route, yelling “Kevin, Kevin;” some yelled ‘Kevin for Prime Minister.’ It was crazy,” he laughed. “Women from 9 to 90 were blowing him kisses. He was a star.”

As for what it was like for the veteran horseman, John Scott was honoured. “We had good horses, but all in all, I had 80 head of horses in that parade, so I was worried about what was happening in the back end, but it went pretty smooth. But it’s hard to pick horses for these people [Costner], but I knew the horse would handle the noise, the manhole covers and the tracks, and it was good.”

Later that evening, Costner and his band, Modern West, entertained at the Big Four Building.

PHOTO

EMPTY SADDLES

EMPTY SADDLES EMPTY SADDLES

Movie legends Kevin Costner and John Scott, Parade Marshalls at 2022 Calgary Stampede Parade

CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOL RODEO FINALS

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CANADIAN COWBOY?

Antarctic Peninsula

ANTARCTICA IS THE fifth-largest continent, being near twice the size of Australia and larger than Europe. Most of Antarctica is covered by ice, with an average thickness of 1.2 miles (1.9 km.)

Antarctica is mainly a polar desert and is the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm (8 in) along the coast and far less inland. About 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica. Native species include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades.

Some 30 countries govern Antarctica, and about 5,000 people reside here in summer. Research and tourism welcome travellers, including Madison Petriko of Edmonton, Alta., onboard the Ocean Victory.

IN JULY, HUNDREDS of rodeo athletes converged in Swift Current, Sask., to compete in the Canadian Junior High & High School Rodeo Finals.

The three-day event was the end goal of a year-long schedule of rodeo competitions for school-aged rodeo athletes from British Co lumbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Some 320 students made up 555 entries; many qualified in more than one event.

The champions were declared after three long rounds of competition in Bareback Riding (BB), Barrel Racing (LBR), Breakaway Roping (BAW), Tie-Down Roping (TDR), Team Roping (TR), Saddle Bronc Riding (SB), Goat Tying (GT), Pole Bending (PB), Steer Wrestling (SW) and Bull Riding (BR), plus Girls and Boys Cutting (GCH & BCH), and mixed Reined Cow Horse (RCH). In the Junior High division, there were all of the same events, plus Chute Dogging (CD), Girls & Boys Goat Tying (GGT & BGT), Ribbon Roping (R.R.) and Boys Break away Roping (BBAW).

Along with contestants, there was a wealth of rodeo royalty on hand.

“This is a Canadian title, a national title. This is a very big deal for all of our contes tants; they have been competing year-round for this,” said Alberta’s High School Rodeo Queen, Tawnie Thompson.

More than buckles were on the line, as scholarships and some CPRA rookie permits were also awarded.

The contestants also earned high praise from unexpected sources, most noticeably from the on-site food trucks. “They were the best bunch of kids in the world,” described one of the food truck owners. “Yes, I’ve never met so many polite, well-mannered kids in my life,” affirmed another veteran cook. “It was incredible.”

Congratulations, all — and here are the 2022 Champions!

2022 JUNIOR HIGH CHAMPIONS: RR: Caleb Fawcett & Keeley Pugh, TDR: Kade Strandquist, TR: Roan Heck/Cruz Lillico, SB: Hunter Sippola, PB: Georgia Stranaghan, GGT: Ashlyn Wade, BAW: Keeley Pugh, CD: Mavrik Studley, BR: Jett Lockie, BGT: Luke Hronek, BBAW: Jett Powelson, LBR: Kate Beierbach, BB: Riley Baird.

2022 HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS:

TDR: Coy Skocdopole, TR: Rylan Brost/ Houston Long, SW: Coy Skocdopole, SB: Jordan Cust, PB: Macie-Rae Warken, GT: Lara Beierbach, BR: Trinity Bear, BAW: Macie-Rae Warken, LBR: Lily Wilson, BB: Jackson Lunn, BRC: Zadee Chapman, GCH: Cassidy Hudacek, BCH: Clay Farmer.

PHOTO BY WILDWOOD IMAGERY/CHANTELLE BOWMAN.

The contestants wore clean shirts and big smiles at the 2022 Canadian High School Rodeo Finals held in Swift Current, Sask. Team Manitoba (black), Team Alberta (blue), Team Saskatchewan (red) and Team British Columbia (pink) enjoyed hot weather, fast times, good scores and great fun.

JEN RUSH

WE ARE CLOSING in on the sesquicentennial of the most infamous battle of the so-called American “Indian Wars” — the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Official government historians would have you believe that Custer was a great general, a great leader with battlefield experience, and the “last to die” in this fight. The real answer is no — to all of it.

As one of my Sioux friends once said, “Custer’s Last Stand is the only battle named after the loser.” The accepted history of this battle was writ ten from the court records of officers at their court martial, so their veracity might be questionable. Since then, many books have been written from these tainted sources, and I’d hazard to guess that they got a few things right, but in reality, empirical evidence has proved that most are plain wrong.

This book was written in 1985 by Henry Weibert and his son, Don. These are men whose ranch harboured the battlegrounds. From finding his first artefact as a kid to becoming the go-to expert, this is a must-read for any fledgling or professional historian. As Westerners know, there is what the government says is right; then there’s the real truth. — T. Mason.

BARNSTORMING

ON

Saskatoon for a wedding, my childhood came back to me. With my best pal from second grade, Burt, and his wife, Kim, in tow, my wife, Teresa, and I took the short drive from the center of the city to the old farm. The day was picture perfect, and that old red barn stood solid and majestic against the bluest blue backdrop in the “Land of the Living Skies.” One hundred feet long and originally built as a dairy barn by my greatgrandpa Ernie, Grandpa Gib, and I suppose my pop, Alan, would have been big enough to hand them some nails but maybe too small to bang any in himself.

For a time after Grandpa Gib took over the farm, the dairy cows were dispersed, and the barn was home to festive barn dances in the loft and the Furdale Curling Club in the win ter season. The milk house was the warm-up area and bar! When my Dad took over, it was 12-year-old Alan Gregory’s job to sweep all the sparrow and pigeon poop from the loft and then make the bottom floor spotless so we could use it as the world’s largest granary. With my little transistor radio close and birds squawking overhead, I swept hard for two days straight to make it ready for the coming year’s crop.

Our fourth-generation family farm was sold in the 1990s and is now rented by the new owner as a horse riding facility. I felt a mix of pride and melancholy, reminiscing and showing it off that day. I wish I had the skills back then to ask my Dad for a small chunk of the home place. I will forever hang onto the memories of those hot summer days and cold winter nights doing chores, building forts and daydreaming about what I would do when I left. It all happened way too fast, but I’m lucky to still stand strong like that big old barn.

Greg Shannon 840 CFCW Morning Show Co-Host

Hear Greg Shannon & Co-Host Stella Stevens weekday mornings on 840 CFCW!

13 cowboycountrymagazine.com

A SUMMER trip home to

The 50-Year Saga

BY HUGH MCLENNAN

dead in a ditch along the road. The horse had been hit by a car, and Don was beside himself with grief and anger.

In those days, the cars all had hood ornaments, and Don found one beside the dead horse. He thought he knew the car it was from and headed for town. Don was now in his late 20s, rough, tough, and fearless. The villain was Ralph Ferriss. He was young and hard-working but also a hard drinker who was often out all night raising Cain.

Ralph’s dad ran a filling station in Chad wick. Don walked in, asking for Ralph and found him with his car — the front end was

In digging through 30 years of Spirit of the West stories, I came across this fascinating one, and I can’t remember where I found it, but it’s worth shar ing. It’s called “The Fifty Year Saga.”

The story began in the early 1930s. Don Smith was a teenager, and it was the height of the Great Depression. He lived with his folks on a small farm near Mount Carroll, Illinois. There was little or no money.

Somehow, he heard that a load of mus tangs had come in from Montana to the train depot in town. He saw a colt in the group and convinced his dad, Elmer, to

buy it for him. The price was $25 — a lot of money in those days.

Don and the colt grew up together. He was the only one who could handle the horse. Everyone else was scared to death of the animal, but Don could ride him any where and even shoot a gun off his back.

In 1938, Don and his new bride, Zelda, moved 10 miles south to Chadwick. They took the mustang along, and it was the same story in Chadwick. Everyone was afraid of the horse — except Don. Sometime in 1940, Don awoke to find the horse had gotten loose during the night, and he found him

all busted up. Don set the hood ornament on the car, and it fit. What happened next isn’t clear, but Don wound up with Ralph’s head under one arm and his dad’s head under the other. He knocked them together and then left.

The two never spoke after that. WWII came along. Don stayed home to farm while Ralph served in the South Pacific. Ralph came home when the war was finally over, and at this point, Don felt Ralph had paid his dues and was no lon ger angry about the horse incident. They became friends, and the horse was never mentioned. For the next few years, Ralph even worked for Don.

Fast forward to 1996 — 56 years after the horse was killed. Don and Ralph were both in their 80s, and time was running out. A month before Ralph passed, he was in his parked car on Main Street. He saw Don and motioned for him to come over. Don went to the car, and Ralph, after 56 years, said, “Don, I’m sorry about your horse.” They both shed tears — and the saga was finally over. c

PHOTO BY BILLIE MCLENNAN

“Everyone was afraid of the horse — except Don.”

PHOTO BY SHELLIE SCOTT.

A Family That Races Together Stays Together

BY BILLY MELVILLE

Former United States President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

Chuckwagon driver Kris Molle has made some big decisions throughout his racing career, and ultimately they have all worked out. The easiest thing, and in light of what has transpired, the worst thing Kris Molle could have done was nothing, but a strong family unit and additional outside support made these things happen.

After a prosperous 20-year career driv ing pony chuckwagons and chariots, Molle decided to move to the big wagons — higher expenses, more travel away from home, etc. It was something he dreamt of doing, and in 2011 he joined the Canadian Profes sional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) and embarked on a career driving Thor oughbred wagons.

After a very successful nine-year career with the CPCA, Molle had another big decision: does he stay with the CPCA or move to the World Professional Chuck wagon Association? The WPCA Pro Tour is chuckwagon racing’s highest level, but so are the costs and the commitment. But thanks to an understanding employer and a supportive family, a hard decision became much easier.

“Repsol (Molle’s employer) has been so supportive in giving me the time I needed to chase my dreams,” explains Molle. “And with my daughter getting her pro card as a barrel racer, the WPCA lined up better with the professional rodeo schedule so we could all stay together.”

With his wife Wendy, a school teacher who has the summers off, son Kaeden

now outriding, and his daughter Blake barrel racing on the pro circuit, the whole family is fully immersed in life on the chuckwagon trail. The increased competi tion that the WPCA provided has made

On Father’s Day 2022, Kris won his first show championship as a member of the WPCA in Medicine Hat with his son Kaeden outriding for him. It was Kaeden’s first buckle as an outrider and a special day for the Molle family. One month later, the family celebrated together on chuckwagon racing’s biggest stage when Kris won the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby with Kaeden as one of his outriders. Kris capped off a great year by also winning the Century Downs Aggregate title and their "Winners' Zone" Championship.

an already top-notch driver even bet ter, and the Kris Molle family are living their dreams and finding a lot of suc cess doing it.

The Molle family has been involved in every decision made regarding Kris’ chuckwagon career. It’s a family thing, and a family that races together stays together, and there’s no better example than Kris Molle and his family.

c

“... the whole family is fully immersed in life on the chuckwagon trail.”

From left, outriders Kaeden Molle, Brendan Nolin, Ethan Motowylo, Driver Kris Molle, Wendy Molle, Blake Molle (blonde) Dakota Longman (Kris’ niece), Dave Lantz from the Calgary Stampede, and Jordan Gibb (Kaeden's girlfriend).

I Didn’t See That Coming

BY BRYN THIESSEN

He thinks of the first time he met her, The first time he looked in her eyes

He’d always been a drifter and a dreamer

So it caught him right by surprise And it took all of his courage

To ask her out there on the floor

But as they whirled around, that’s when he found This was the girl he’d adore.

I wrote/thought this poem about 30 years ago. It starts like a love story between a man and a woman. It speaks of waltzing together in the morning and in the evening, riding side-by-side. It goes on to tell of seeming to grow apart, and the last verse says:

Today is the day that she’s leaving Soon they will say their goodbyes

She never has looked more lovely He wipes back a tear from his eye

She looks, she smiles as she says, “Daddy Though I will soon leave your side When all’s said and done, you’re still the one Who had the first waltz with the bride.”

These words were planted by a seven-year-old blonde girl. It got me thinking of what it would be like to have a daughter. What I didn’t see coming is I mar ried her mother, and she became my daughter.

These thoughts started coming together over the weekend as I performed a couple of wedding ceremonies. Some of it from watch ing the fathers walk their daughters down the aisle and remembering Casey’s wedding, but also the realization that I was the one

performing the ceremony. I’d performed my first wed ding 25 years ago at the request of a friend. I’d never set out to be a pastor/preacher, but I knew I wanted to work with livestock and people.

My genetics include grandparents, farmers, horse men, and church planters. Parents are ranchers, teachers, and founders of Horsemanship Pioneer Camps. My opportunities included ranch-raised, 4-H, church and Pioneer Camps, and time spent weaving my skills and experiences in poems and stories at poetry gatherings were preparing me for what I didn’t see coming.

I started to be known as a preacher at poetry gath erings when we’d gather for a church service. For the first two years, some of us met on our own, and in the third year, we were asked to hold one for everyone. Ben Crane, Don Wudel and I met to plan it. To no one’s surprise, I was late and got voted in as preacher. (I’m glad it wasn’t an election; I might have been a politician.)

If we travel out of my reminiscing and into the scriptures, we find a teaching in Psalm 37;4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He’ll give you the desires of your heart.” Too often we only hear the sec ond half as the prize and don’t see what’s coming.

We know from Matthew 7: 13-14 That the wide gate (our plans/desires) seems easier/ right but the narrow gate (God’s way/plan) is the one that leads us home, even when we can’t see what’s coming.

Your journey won’t be the same as mine, but your destination can be. You may not see all the steps that are coming but the final one is the one you want to prepare for. c

Bryn Thiessen is a rancher, poet, cowboy and preacher at Cowboy Trail Church in Cochrane. Bryn and his wife Bonny market grass-fattened beef from their Helmer Creek Ranch southwest of Sundre, Alta.

Amber Marshall

GETTING REAL WESTERN

BY TERRI MASON

Canadian actress Amber Marshall is still living a dream.

The young talent is the star of the mega-hit television series Heartland, where she plays Amy Fleming, a rancher’s daughter with a special gift for healing horses. Amber’s life on and off screen revolves around horses, and her honesty and real-life experience play well in the series. The popular Ontario-born actress moved West over 14 years ago and what you see on screen is pretty much her life. Amber Marshall is authentic, and her dream TV life is her reality.

This year (so far, fingers crossed, I wrote this in July) has been one of the rainiest seasons we’ve seen in decades, and shooting a mainly outdoor-based show on the rain-soaked prairie presents some difficulties.

“Living in Alberta, I've just come to expect anything,” laughs Amber. “Over the last 16 years, we've had snow every single

month. We've had hail, rain, snow, and back to hail, rain and sun all in one day. And we've had those funnel clouds as well. One time we had to stop production, find safe places and wait, so there's nothing that we haven't been through,” she said.

“This year, the timing has worked out really well,” she continued. “On rainy days, we just happened to be in studio. But we don’t change the shooting order for the weather because we've got tight schedules. If it’s raining, we can’t throw on a slicker because if a scene is already established, we must wear the same clothes for the next day of shooting. Some days it's hot and sunny, then five degrees and raining the next, and we can’t be in a coat. So it can be a little unpredictable, but we always make it work.”

The cast of Heartland, Canada’s top-rated show, has a predictable shooting schedule, but it’s still long days. Amber, her husband, photographer Shawn Turner (they married

in 2013) and their menagerie live on their acreage in southern Alberta, and shooting schedule or not, there are still chores.

“In the summertime, chores are easier as it gets light at 4:30. I wake up around five o'clock and do chores,” she explains. ”Then I head to work, go straight into hair and makeup to get ready for the day.”

Shooting a scene is like choreographing a dance. Each player, both in front of and behind the camera, has an important part to play and staging a “dry run” before the film starts to roll is called “blocking” — vital where the cost of production is high. On an average day, Amber is prepped with hair, makeup and wardrobe; she has a bite of breakfast, and then they block the scene. Only then is the crew ready to shoot, and each scene generally takes an hour or two to complete, depending on how complicated it is. An average day is 12 hours, and Amber is usually home by 7 pm. “To do chores,”

she laughs, and with such an early start the next day, she’s off to bed.

It’s still somewhat of a surprise when she thinks about how long the series has aired. “It's funny; since we are renewed year by year, you don't even really think about it until you look back and say, ‘Wow, we've been doing this a really long time.’”

At first, Amber travelled back and forth. It wasn’t long before the critics and fans alike found the show, and it’s been almost 15 years since she made the move to Alberta permanent.

These days, Amber has her dog, Remy, on the show, but not her own livestock. Alberta’s legendary movie kingpin, John Scott, supplies all of the show’s horses.

“He has so many talented horses that they don't need to look elsewhere,” Amber affirms. “And I would never want to bring one of my own horses on set — I’d just worry about them. It's nice to have the

Amber has had the opportunity to work with some of the top-rated horse trainers in the business

peace of mind knowing that there are pro fessionals there with professional horses, and I can just focus on what I have to do.”

The show's realism is renowned, and you can also praise Amber for this. Rather than rely exclusively on stunt doubles, the enthu siastic horsewoman has taken full advantage of her ready access to Tom Eirikson and Niki Flundra, two acclaimed horse trainers and handlers. It’s no wonder that Amber’s skills have expanded exponentially.

“Tom took me under his wing very early on the first season when I was out in Alberta,” she said. “I wasn't living here full time yet, I was staying in a condo in Cal gary, and I felt a little bit out of my comfort zone because I like to be out in the country. Tom said, ‘Any weekend you want to come out, I'll give you a horse; you can go check cows with me.’ It was such a great way to immerse myself in the cowboy culture,” she explained. “I felt like I was really learning and training for that role. I was hooked; I love the West.”

But there’s more to the cowboy lifestyle than saddling up and looking good.

“In Season One, Tom gave me my first rope. It was perfect because his boys, Saw yer and Wyatt, were just learning to rope themselves. I just loved it; I would go out every weekend. I remember entering my first jackpot with Wyatt — I remember him saying, ‘this was the most pressure I was ever under,’ she laughs. “I caught two horns and turned the steer, and he caught the heels. It was one of those moments where the people really make the experience.”

Then another blessing came into her world; a lifelong friendship with Liberty trainer and performer Niki Flundra.

“Niki has been a close friend of mine for many, many years. And I remember it was in Season Five when the Liberty work was first introduced. We had used Niki on set before if we needed a horse to rear or lay down or something like that, but once the writers saw her act, they were like, ‘You know, this is what Amy Fleming needs to do on Heartland.’”

It was a break for the show to have such an internationally renowned performer just down the road, and they incorporated the highly-specialized training into the scripts.

“I went down to her place and trained with her for a few weekends. I really wanted to grasp everything about it so I could do as much of it myself because, on Heartland, some of the realism comes from the actors doing these things on-screen. I was so lucky to be able to train with Niki.”

Again, horses took centre stage and art imitated life when the actress performed

Even horses earn guest starring roles, like Apple Jack, one of Dan James' Liberty horses

“

“But there’s more to the cowboy lifestyle than saddling up and looking good.”

impressive stunts on-screen in front of her co-stars, stuntmen and trainers. “It was this very strange parallel between my life and the show. I think that's what has made these years so enjoyable: I still love every minute of it, and I just eat it up.”

Her gratitude and appreciation for the authentic Western way of life are authentic. “I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many talented horse people, and good people, genuinely good people.”

After so many years as a star, Amber isn’t taken off-guard when a fan approaches her. “I don't know that you ever get used to it, but it definitely is just part of my everyday life, and I still enjoy it. I love the show. I'm really thankful that I landed the role because my fan base is so wholesome. I'm just very thankful that Heartland has such a wholesome audience, and it's also

an audience that I am familiar with, and I'm comfortable with because I'm in the horse world.”

The writing on the series has main tained a fresh approach and an appeal that crosses age demographics and interests, which is unusual in a series, and tricky for writers to successfully navigate.

“I give kudos to our writers for having 16 years of stories, and every single year, I am always so impressed at the stories that come out and how much freshness there is and how many new things — whether it

be in the horse world or just in the family dynamics. Our writers do an incredible job of balancing different age groups and hav ing a little bit of something for everybody.”

So what will Amber reveal about the upcoming season?

“We're going to see more horse stories. And we get to see a unique animal of the horse variety. So there's something that we haven't seen on Heartland before.”

And one last question; will she attend the Canadian Finals Rodeo this year? “We're going to be filming at the time, so getting away is a little bit challenging. But if either of the Eirikson brothers makes it — I’ll be cheering for them.”

For more, visit the Heartland website at cbc.ca/heartland and Amber Marshall’s digital magazine, Life & Style Magazine, at AmberMarshall.com. c

“

“I still love every minute of it, and I just eat it up.”

Amber enjoying some quiet time with Tango, from John Scott's herd

Shadow, Light, Colour

Meet Neepin Auger

BY CRAIG COUILLARD

PHOTO: SWEETMOON PHOTOGRAPHY The True Meaning of Home, 40" x 40", acrylic on canvas

1. Moswa 40” x 40”, acrylic on canvas

2. Spirit Bear 36” x 36”, acrylic on canvas

3. My Spirits Dance 48” x 60”, acrylic on canvas.

It started with a dream of a flying bear soaring between two realms — and from that vision came another stunning piece by Indigenous artist Neepin Auger.

The daughter of the late Calgary Stampede Hall of Fame artist Dale Auger, Neepin has been honing her craft since an early age. Over the years, she has dabbled in different mediums but has found her niche with acrylic on canvas in Native spirituality art.

“My Dad was my biggest influence, my biggest mentor,” she says. The accomplished elder passed in 2008 at 50.

It was hard for a young Neepin to have such a famous and well-respected artist as a father. “I was always drawing or painting from a very early age. But it was difficult to be in his shadow at times, and I questioned whether I could be an artist myself.”

Being invited to the 2021 Calgary Stam pede was the turning point for Neepin. “I sold all my paintings and actually cried when I sold that last one. I knew then that I had respectfully come out from under my Dad’s shadow and emerged into my own light. I felt I could be my own artist.”

Her paintings are filled with symbol ism and spirituality, offering a unique and

stunning contrast in the often-traditional Western art world. “I find inspiration from my culture, my heritage,” explains Neepin. “Often, I start with colours, and my paint ings evolve from there.”

Many of her current customers were patrons of her father as they desire to have artwork from both father and daughter. The many dots in her paintings carry over from her Dad’s work. They represent spirits in the Native universe.

Education was a big emphasis in the Auger household. Dale had a PhD in Educa tion, and her mother, Grace Auger, received her Bachelor of Law degree while raising

three children. She is currently a Provincial Court Judge.

“School was not a great experience for me, so my parents homeschooled us. They wanted to teach us basic school subjects plus traditional native values like hunt ing, fishing, and ceremonies. That has had a significant influence on my art.”

Neepin is now her own force for change in education as the Vice-Principal at Many Horses High School on the Tsuut’ina Nation southwest of Calgary. “Historically, education was not designed for Indigenous children. Reconciliation is

allowing us to have an impact on school strategies and curriculum. Big changes are happening, which are creating new path ways for our students. It’s amazing.”

“Reconciliation has also created new awareness for Indigenous art and artists,” she continued. “It’s a way to share stories

that resonate with all cultures. It has helped young artists feel safe to express themselves — to take more risks.”

Creating some 20 paintings a year, when does she have time to paint with a busy life as a principal, wife, mother and daughter? “Being a night hawk helps me be at my most creative. Painting is like meditation for me. It’s where I find my peace.”

And people are noticing. She was named Best New Artist at the 2022 Cal gary Stampede.

Neepin Auger is definitely a name to remember. For more, visit NeepinAuger.com c

“

“Painting is like meditation for me.”

They Loved 40” round, acrylic on canvas

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“Bat” Masterson

The Evolution of A Cow Town Lawman

BY DR DARYL DREW

“Bat” Masterson — according to Hollywood, his name is syn onymous with gunfights, Wyatt Earp, law and order and killing those who needed killing. Here’s the real story of one of the more famous Canadians from the Wild West.

Bat Masterson was born November 26, 1853, into an Irish-Canadian family in the parish of St. George, Henryville County of Iberville, Quebec.

His baptismal name was Bartholomew, but he went by William Barclay “Bat” Mas terson for most of his life. His family were Eastern Township farmers but eventually resettled near Wichita, Kansas. Bat found farm life monotonous, so in 1872, with his brother Ed and friend Theodore Raymond, he tried railroad construction. They worked as graders for contractor Ray Ritter who cheated the Masterson brothers out of some pay. A year later, with help from Henry Ray mond, he caught Ritter unawares and, with his revolver drawn, recovered the owed wages. Bat did not easily forget grievances.

Giving up on railroad work, the Master son brothers Bat, Ed and Jim — plus their friend Theodore Raymond — tried buffalo hunting to earn a living. By 1874, Bat was hunting in the Texas Panhandle amidst conflict with Plains tribes reacting to the wanton slaughter of the herds. On June 27, Bat and 27 other hunters, plus Mrs Olds, the wife of a hunter, were attacked by Coman che, Kiowa and Cheyenne warriors at a makeshift trading post called Adobe Walls. Armed with long-range .50 calibre buffalo guns, the hunters drove off the warriors after about a week-long siege called the Second Battle of Adobe Walls. For a short time afterwards, Bat put his tracking skills to work scouting for Colonel Nelson Miles against Comanche and Apache war parties.

In 1876 in Sweetwater, Texas, Master son was vying for the attention of saloon girl Mollie Brennan when on January 24,

a soldier calling himself Corporal Melvin King took exception, and a gunfight ensued. Masterson showed he would not hesitate to defend himself, but the results were disastrous. Mollie Brennan was killed, King died of his wounds and Masterson was seriously wounded in the hip, resulting in a limp requiring a cane. In later years his derby hat and cane would become part of his dapper style.

Masterson was developing a reputa tion for coolness under fire, a necessary trait for evolving into a cow town lawman. He was also building a network of similar contemporaries that he could call upon for support. Settling in Dodge City as a gambler, saloon, and brothel owner, Bat interceded against town Marshall Lawrence Deger on June 6, 1877, over the rough arrest of Robert

Gilmore. Bat was pistol-whipped and fined $25 for disturbing the peace, and he realized that town lawmen controlled the power in the Kansas cow towns. Often the town businessmen were Republicans, and the cattlemen coming north from Texas were mainly southern Democrats. Old Civil War animosities still simmered below the surface, and violence could easily break out as it did when buffalo hunters came to town.

After months on the trail, drovers wanted to cut loose with their wages, and the Kansas cow towns were known to be wild and open with numerous brothels and saloons. The cowboys could enjoy themselves until con flict interfered with profits, and that’s when the law would step in to restore order. Many cattle town lawmen also recognized that ownership in a saloon or a Faro table was a

The "Dodge City Peace Commission" June 10, 1883. (Standing from left) William H. Harris (1845–1895), Luke Short (1854–1893), William "Bat" Masterson (1853–1921), William F. Petillon (1846–1917), (seated from left) Charlie Bassett (1847–1896), Wyatt Earp (1848–1929), Michael Francis "Frank" McLean (1854–1902), Cornelius "Neil" Brown (1844–1926). Photo by Charles A. Conkling.

lucrative source of extra money. At best, the line between a lawman owning a saloon and a gunman wearing a badge was murky. Nei ther all good nor all bad, cow town lawmen were, for the most part, opportunists.

Bat Masterson was elected Sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, in the fall of 1877, and Ed Masterson was Marshall for Dodge City. Bat impressed the voters between February and March 1878 by arresting four mem bers of the train-robbing Dave Rudabaugh gang. The Masterson brothers enjoyed suc cess until April 9, when Bat and Ed were involved in a gunfight with two cowboys. Ed was killed along with Jack Wagner, while Alf Walker was wounded.

sent a telegram asking for Bat’s assistance in helping save his brother, “Texas Billy” Thompson, from a potential lynching in Ogallala, Nebraska. Apparently, Billy had shot the thumb off of a man named Tucker, who, in turn, managed to wound Thomp son. Bat and Billy escaped by train to North Platte, Nebraska, aided by Bat’s friend, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who helped them get to safety in Dodge City.

Masterson left Dodge on Feb.8, 1881, to join his friend Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, to deal Faro, along with another gunman named Luke Short. Before he could side with the Earps in a famous gunfight at the vacant lot on Fremont Street

Masterson received word that Luke Short needed help in the Dodge City War as he had been run out of town by the Mayor’s faction, led by Masterson’s old enemy Larry Deger. Masterson and Wyatt Earp called on five gunfighter friends, forming the Dodge City Peace Commis sion, and Luke Short’s business interests were protected. Their photograph is one of the most famous icons of the Old West.

Bat turned to journalism, and after his first failed attempt — a one-edition publica tion focused on Dodge City politics called Vox Populi — he left Dodge for Denver.

By 1888, he owned the Palace Variety Theatre in Denver and began a long-term

Lawmen and cowboy trouble was com mon, starting with cowboys shooting off their guns in town. On October 4, 1878, a variety actress known as Fannie Keenan was accidentally shot and killed by James Kennedy, son of wealthy Texas cattleman Mifflin Kennedy. A posse, including Wyatt Earp, caught up to Kennedy, and in an exchange of shots, Kennedy was wounded and captured.

In 1879, Bat served as a Deputy U.S. Marshal for a short time after transporting a notorious horse thief named “Dutch” Henry Borne from Trinidad, Colorado, to Dodge City. Masterson, however, still found time to invest in several saloons and brothels. Their rough handling of misbehaving Texas cow hands and their business interests earned lawmen like the Masterson brothers the sobriquet “ battling pimps.”

Bat was not above working as a gun for hire. Two competing railroads — the Denver Rio Grande and the Santa Fe — wanted the right of way through Royal Gorge. The Santa Fe hired Masterson and a band of gun men to intercede against the competition. Differences were settled, but Masterson had overstepped his jurisdiction, and Ford county residents did not re-elect him.

In 1880, Bat was gambling in Dodge, where his brother James was the City Mar shal. An old acquaintance, Ben Thompson,

(not at but near the OK Corral), Masterson was called back to Dodge City. Jim Mas terson’s partnership with Al Updegraff in the Lady Gay saloon had gone sour. On April 16, 1881, Bat exchanged shots with Updegraff and A. J. Peacock, and as friends from both sides joined in, bullets smashed through the walls of the Long Branch Saloon. When the gun smoke cleared, Updegraff was wounded, and Masterson was arrested. Bat was fined, and the broth ers left town.

Bat’s gunfighter reputation expanded exponentially, mostly due to a bad joke. A young reporter in Gunnison, Colorado, interviewed a local doctor named W. S. Cockrell who said Bat had shot 26 men. The story ran in Eastern newspapers, and although Bat was not pleased, it may have helped him land a job as City Marshal in Trinidad, Colorado, on April 17, 1882. Meanwhile, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday had been involved in shootings in and around Tombstone and Holliday had moved to Colorado. Arizona authorities sought his extradition, and Wyatt Earp asked Bat to intercede with Colorado Governor Frederick Pitkin to squash the extradition. That done, Bat was becoming somewhat of a celebrity, but his political influence was unpopular with Trinidad voters.

relationship with singer Emma Walters. Masterson also became involved in prize fight promoting and knew fighters John L. Sullivan, “Gentleman” Jim Corbett and Jack Dempsey. Masterson was introduced to New York when he worked briefly as a bodyguard for millionaire George Gould.

Returning to Denver, he augmented his funds further by serving as the Deputy Sheriff of Arapahoe County. New York, how ever, had caught his interest, and in 1902, he and Emma moved there permanently. A friend got him a job as a newspaper col umnist writing about sports and current events. Bat made friends with President Theodore Roosevelt, often visited the White House as a result and was appointed Dep uty U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York by the president.

Bat Masterson’s road to fame as a cow town lawman had taken many twists and turns from his roots on a Quebec farm. Long after his death, his legend continued to grow. From 1958 to 1961, actor Gene Berry portrayed Bat Masterson in 108 TV episodes, and Bat was further immortalized in a comic books series.

As for the infamous Canadian himself, on October 25, 1921, Masterson passed away at his desk from a heart attack while writing his column. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. c

“Masterson was developing a reputation for coolness under fire, a necessary trait for evolving into a cow town lawman. ”

Glenn Ford

Canadian Cinematic Legend

BY TIM LASIUTA

From the first frames of the classic movie, 3:10 to Yuma, and with the haunting Frankie Laine theme song fading away, Glenn Ford (Ben Wade) enters the film and into western history, lightening a Butterfield stagecoach from its gold.

Ford’s 1957 foray into “dusters” was just one of his 25 westerns. All told, Ford made over 100 appearances on the silver screen and on episodic television.

Throughout his career, Ford portrayed characters from cowboys in Santee (1973), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), The Man from Colorado (1948), golfer Ben Hogan (1951) and teacher Richard Dadier in the classic 1955 Black board Jungle.

Every story has a beginning, and the story of Glenn Ford began more than a century ago.

Ford was born on May 4, 1916, in SainteChristine-d’Auvergne, Quebec, to Newton and Hannah Ford and was named Glwyl lyn Samuel Newton Ford. His father was a railroad executive who moved the family to Santa Monica, California, where the fledg ling actor took an interest in the stage, first as a manager, then as an actor. Ford’s stage name came from his father’s hometown of Glenford, Alberta.

Knowing the value of prudence, his father insisted that his ambitious son learn a trade so he would have backup skills just in case. He took the challenge, learning roofing, window installation, bartending and other jobs.

His first role in Hollywood was in 1937 in the short Night in Manhattan. His first feature film was called Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence. Signing with Columbia for 14 years, he was cast in a series of non-descript roles, including Lady in Question, during which he first met Rita Hayworth. His 1941 entry, So End Our Night, was the first anti-Nazi film in Hollywood, which garnered Academy Award nominations for several co-stars.

Ford joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 1941 and the Marine Corps during the film ing of Destroyer in San Diego in their film branch. He also married Elanor Powell in 1943, and their son, Peter, was born in 1945.

Returning to Hollywood in 1946, he was cast in Gilda alongside nine-time co-star Hayworth, and his star began to rise again in Hollywood.

During his marriage to Powell, Ford produced Faith of Our Children for a Los Angeles TV station, a show Eleanor hosted in the mid-1950s. The couple divorced in 1959. He was married three other times.

Ford had a fondness for westerns. Not only was he a quick draw, but he was a wellrespected horseman.

“I was going to Santa Monica High School at the time,” said Ford in an inter view. “I had a summer job at the polo games. I was paid $3 to take tickets and pass out programs. That $3 was a lot of money at the time. One day, Will Rogers asked me if I wanted to hold his horses. One thing led to another, and I didn’t have to take tickets anymore; I worked for Mr Rogers. He said if I was going to take care of his horses, I had better learn how to ride. I learned to ride very quickly with him as my riding teacher.”

“Dad could draw and shoot in threetenths of a second,” said son Peter, who remembers as a kid pretending to be Brod erick Crawford, Ford’s villain co-star from The Fastest Gun Alive

Co-star Paul Petersen remembered work ing with Ford on A Time for Killing in 1967.

“On the first day on location, we had to pick our horses, and I ended up with a goofy pinto that didn’t like cameras and lights and crewmen,” recalled Petersen. “This was outside Kanab, Utah. I was riding around getting to know my movie horse when Glenn ambled over to a horse trailer nearby, and when the tailgate dropped, out backed this magnificent Quarter horse.”

Petersen says that within minutes, Ford had the horse saddled and mounted easily like a genuine cowboy.

Ford was primarily active during the “golden age” of Hollywood, from the 1940s to the 1960s, with more television appear ances and TV movies on his resume. He starred in Cades County (1974), The Sacketts (1979) and portrayed Pa Kent in Richard Donners 1978 Superman

The Canadian actor was well respected and won eight awards, including a star on the Walk of Fame in 1960. In 1978, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Okla homa. He received a Golden Boot Award alongside Gene Barry, Harry Carey Jr., Rob ert Livingston and Joel McCrea in 1987.

Near the end of his career, Ford spoke of his love of the western genre. “If I could do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t do anything but westerns,” he said.

Ford passed away in 2006 at the age of 90 in Beverly Hills and is buried in Wood lawn Cemetery. c

FAMOUS FILMS

Texas (1941)

The Desperadoes (1943) Gilda (1946)

The Man from Colorado (1948) Blackboard Jungle (1955)

The Violent Men (1955)

Jubal (1956)

The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)

3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Cowboy (1958) Cimarron (1960)

Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

The Rounders (1965)

A Time for Killing (1967)

Midway (1976)

Superman (1978) The Sacketts (1979)

Opposite page: Glenn Ford in The Desperadoes, 1941; Above: Claire Trevor and Glenn Ford, The Desperadoes; Glenn riding in Santee, 1973

Italy Remembers

CANADA’S FALLEN SOLDIERS

BY ANDREW EXELBY | PHOTOS COURTESY COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM

Communities in Bloom is a grassroots program with strong community ties. Each year many CiB participants help coordinate Remembrance Day tributes, cemetery projects and memorial initiatives that commemorate our fallen heroes. Our soldiers’ sacrifices are beyond what most can imagine, and CiB is humbled to have the opportunity to honour soldiers each year.

a long night of merciless warfare. Thank you.

(Rough) translation of a notice placed in the Cervia newspaper: Photo shows the advance towards Ravenna of a unit of Canadian soldiers in the winter of 1944/45 after having freed Cervia, where five of their comrades fell on the morning of October 22, 1944. With this initiative we are soliciting your membership to ask the Municipal Administration that the plaque, which remembers them, be placed in a more suitable and more visible position in the historic center in order to honour their memory with dignity. These young Canadians died at the dawn of our liberation after

This effort expands past Canada as well. Tributes to Canadian soldiers have also taken many forms in other countries. Since 2016, Communities in Bloom’s part ner in Italy, Asproflor, has coordinated the creation of a “Communities in Bloom Garden” to recognize their country’s involvement in the International Commu nities in Bloom Challenge. Mauro Paradisi designs these gardens, a Construction Engineer from Turin, a Judge for Comuni Fioriti and an International Judge for Com munities in Bloom. In 2016, this garden program introduced Communities in Bloom across Italy, and in 2017 Canada’s 150th Anniversary was celebrated with communities such as Cervia, Italy, becom ing involved.

Cervia Città di Giardino was amongst the Italian communities liberated by the Canadian Armed Forces in October 1944 during World War II. Five Canadian soldiers

lost their lives during the battles for the lib eration of Cervia — a sacrifice that residents of Cervia have not forgotten.

In recognition of the liberation and the support provided following the battles, Cervia honours the memory of these Canadian soldiers every year with an annual ceremony on October 22. In 2017, a new plaque honouring all five fallen soldiers was unveiled at Piazza Garibaldi as part of a re-enactment of the libera tion of Cervia.

In continued respect of Canada and its soldiers, in 2019, Cervia invited Com munities in Bloom representatives from the City of Castlegar, B.C., under the art ful guidance of a Communities in Bloom International judge, to build their gardens in Cervia. Volunteer gardeners travelled to Cervia to build these gardens with the generous support of Cervia, its gardeners and citizens.

“Tributes to Canadian soldiers have also taken many forms...”

In 2020, faced with the COVID-19 pan demic, Cervia decided to hold, respecting health authorities guidelines, the 48th edition by having their staff replicate the 2019 gardens all on their own — a testament to their dedication. Grazie Mille, Cervia!

Comune di Cervia continues, as it does every year, to maintain its gardens throughout the summer. The gardens are featured with descriptive signage onsite, online and in promotional publications.

Communities in Bloom is thank ful to Cervia Città di Giardino for

demonstrating the values of horticulture, green spaces and floral displays while, most importantly, paying tribute to Canada’s fallen soldiers.

ABOUT COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM

Communities in Bloom (CiB) is a volunteer and partnership-driven charitable organiza tion. For the past 27 years, CiB has helped participating communities develop civic pride, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, enhance green spaces, strengthen neighbourhoods, and increase investment opportunities and tourism. It is a comprehensive, proven approach to community development, and its positive benefits are felt immediately!

For more information about Communi ties in Bloom in your province, please visit: CommunitiesInBloom.ca c

1. A Garden completed in Cervia, Italy in honour of Canada and its involvement in the liberation of Cervia in 1944

2. Volunteers gather in Cervia to plants gardens honouring Canada and our five fallen soldiers

3. Cervia Officials unveiling the a new plaque in 2017 honouring five fallen Canadian soldiers lost during the liberation of Cervia in 1944 4. Community gathers during the re-enactment of the liberation of Cervia

“Volunteer gardeners travelled to Cervia to build these gardens...”

INSIDER

Logan Hay marking a new World record of 95.5 pts onboard Calgary Stampede’s X-9 Xplosive Skies at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville, Alta. Photo by Billie-Jean Duff.

INSIDER

WRAPPING UP A STRONG SEASON

As we wrap up what has been an exciting final few weeks of the 2022 Canadian Pro Rodeo season, all of us at the CPRA are genuinely overjoyed to look back at what has been a tremendous regular season.

Virtually all of our rodeos have returned, along with long-standing and new volun teers, and there have even been some new events that came on board. The grandstands have been full of fans having a great time, and the athletes, both two-legged and fourlegged, have performed like they were never away. A prime example was at the Hard grass Bronc Match at Pollockville where Logan Hay established a new world record in bronc riding with a 95.5-point mark on the spectacular Calgary Stampede bronc, X-9 Xplosive Skies.

We’d also like to recognize our 2022 SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour Champi ons — just crowned at the Armstrong (B.C.) IPE and Stampede. We enjoyed a strong roster of Pro Tour rodeos with an exciting new sponsor. Thank you to all involved in making this Tour another big success.

Never have we owed a greater debt of thanks to the committees, volunteers and sponsors at all of our member rodeos than this year. All of us were optimistic that it would be a successful resumption of full rodeos, but I doubt that even the most posi tive among us expected the return to be this smooth and exciting. You did it, and we thank you.

Now it’s on to the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Red Deer, and I’m more confident

than ever that it’s going to our best CFR yet at Peavey Mart Centrium, Westerner Park. Congratulations to the contestant quali fiers, and to the stock contractors who have horses and bulls heading for Red Deer. We’ll see all of you at the CFR, and on behalf of the CPRA Board of Directors, I want to extend a special invitation to our fans. If you haven’t been to the Finals in recent years, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Terry Cooke, President, Canadian Professional Rodeo Association

2022 CPRA SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER

Armstrong, BC SMS Equipment

Pro Tour Aug 31-Sept 2

Armstrong, BC SMS Equipment

Pro Tour Final Sept 3

Merritt, BC Sept 3–4

Langley, BC *(SB, BB, BR, LBR) Sept 3–5

Medicine Lodge, AB Sept 10

Coronation, AB Sept 9-10

Olds, AB Sept 16–17 Hanna, AB Sept 16–17 Edmonton, AB SMS Equipment Pro Tour Sept 23–24

NOVEMBER

Red Deer, AB – Canadian Finals Rodeo Nov 2–6 Regina, SK – Maple Leaf Circuit Finals ** Nov 30-Dec 3

BB—Bareback

SB—Saddle Bronc

BR—Bull Riding

LBR—Ladies Barrel Racing

FloRodeo Network broadcasts Canadian Finals Rodeo, Maple Leaf Circuit Finals and SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour rodeos. Visit RodeoCanada.com for updates.

SUMMER RODEO ROUNDUP

BY DAVE POULSEN

Scott Guenthner dropped his final steer in 3.3 sec’s, and was crowned the 2022 SMS Equipment Pro Tour Champion, Armstrong, B.C. Photo by CovyMoore.com/Covy Moore.

The second half of the 2022 Canadian Pro rodeo season began on a high with huge, boisterous crowds and athletes performing at a level that belied their limited action of the previous two COVIDplagued seasons.

Two-time Canadian Steer Wrestling Champion Scott Guenthner, a notable absentee from the 2021 Canadian Finals Rodeo roster, is intent on returning to the CFR and winning a third Canadian title for his already impressive resume. He helped that cause with mid-July wins at Teepee Creek and Bowden. His 3.9 and 3.7-second runs earned the Provost bulldogger over $3,000. Of note: the four-legged superstar, Peso, earned cowboys, including owner and

2017 Canadian champ Logan Bird, over $100,000 in July alone.

The CPRA announced that the popular ladies breakaway roping event will have twelve competitors qualify for CFR 2022 — double the number of qualifiers com peting a year ago.

Australian bronc rider, Lachlan Miller, solidified his hold on a top twelve spot in the Canadian standings with a pair of late-July wins — the first at the Manitoba Stampede in Morris — an SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour stop, the second at Rocky ford, Alta., to collect $3,244.

Logan Hay, the third-generation bronc rider from Wildwood, Alta., wrote a new chapter in rodeo’s history book when he spurred his way to a world record

95.5 points on the spectacular Calgary Stampede mare, X-9 Xplosive Skies at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in Pollockville, Alta., The victory was worth $14,922 and brought the July earnings total for the 25-year-old superstar to $93,000.

Stettler, Alta., tie-down roper Beau Cooper, cashed in at three late July Canadian stops. Cooper recorded wins at Medicine Hat and the his toric Bruce Stampede, then added a fourth-place cheque at the Strathmore Stampede to bring his weekend haul to $8,934, vaulting him from 25th place in the Canadian standings into the top ten.

Cole Goodine, the Carbon, Alta., bareback rider, took a giant step

Clint Laye scored 88.25 points on Calgary Stampede’s B-12 Bigtimin Houston and won the Pro Tour championship in Armstrong. Photo by CovyMoore.com/Covy Moore.

INSIDER

toward his stated goal of a season leader title with wins at Regina’s Pile ‘O Bones Rodeo (another Pro Tour event) and at the North Peace Stampede in Grimshaw, Alta., to earn over $3,600.

2016 Canadian Bull Riding Champion, Jordan Hansen, enjoyed a pair of north country wins, the first at La Crete, Alta’s Field of Dreams Stampede, and the second at Dawson Creek, B.C. Hansen parlayed an 86.5-point ride at La Crete and an 88-point effort at Dawson Creek into a $5,000 week, benefiting his CFR and National Finals Rodeo aspirations.

Late August saw several competitors make substantial gains as the run to the CFR intensified. Two-event Didsbury cow boy, Morgan Grant, recorded roping wins at both Pincher Creek (8.2, $1,989) and Cran brook Pro Rodeos (8.3, $1,908).

One of the feel-good stories of 2022 con tinued as saddle bronc rider Hunter Sawley extended a hot streak that began with a win at the Medicine Hat Stampede. The Fox Creek, Alta., talent upped his lead in the Maple Leaf Circuit standings with a win at Pincher Creek and a 1–2 split at Cranbrook for a $2,100 payday.

Scott Guenthner was at it again as he bested the field at the newly minted West of the Fifth Pro Rodeo in Buck Lake, Alta., then added a 1–2 split (with Ty Miller) at Cranbrook for a $2,350 trip to the pay window.

Texan, Bayleigh Choate, continues to hold a commanding lead (over $20,000) in the barrel racing standings, with several women (both veterans and rookies) vying for the top 12 CFR berths.

August saved its best for last as the team roping Graham brothers, Dawson and Dil lon, took their winning ways to a new level, claiming top honours in all three CPRA rodeos in one weekend (a first for them) and padding their respective bank accounts by more than $6,200. The season leaders have placed at 18 CPRA rodeos in 2022, ten of them wins, already topping their 2019 high of nine season triumphs.

SMS EQUIPMENT PRO RODEO TOUR FINALE

The SMS Equipment Pro Rodeo Tour wrapped up over Labour weekend with the final tour stop and finals in Armstrong, B.C. While most of the season leaders held on to

claim the overall tour titles and the champi ons trophy spurs that went to the winners, there was come-from-behind drama in the bareback riding.

Reigning Canadian Champion Clint Laye put together an 89-point effort for sec ond place in the regular rodeo, then added an 88.25 ride on Calgary Stampede’s Bigti min Houston to take top spot in the Finals. The twin successes vaulted the Cadogan, Alta., cowboy from third place entering the weekend to the SMS Tour title and earned him the champion’s trophy spurs as he edged Ty Taypotat by just five points.

Bull rider Brock Radford was the only other competitor who overcame a deficit to win the SMS Tour title. The Dewinton, Alta., hand was aided by his fourth-place result in the tour final en route to the overall championship.

Those able to protect the leads they enjoyed going into the Armstrong weekend included steer wrestling champion Scott Guenthner, tie-down roper Beau Cooper, bronc rider Lachlan Miller, barrel racer Bayleigh Choate, team ropers Tristin Wool sey and Trey Gallais, and breakaway roper Lakota Bird. c

The Graham brothers, Dawson (header) and Dillon continued their winning ways. Photo by CovyMoore.com/Covy Moore.

ROAD TO THE CFR

COLT CORNET

BUCKLES & CREDITS

BY TIM ELLIS

Colt Cornet is used to being around stars outside the rodeo arena. Given his breakout 2022 season inside the arena, he’s on track to become a star, and it came sooner than later.

“I don’t pay attention to the standings,” confides the 22-year-old Cornet, who found himself well inside the top ten of the Pro Rodeo Canada tie-down roping standings by the end of July. “I try to rope what I draw; you’re either going to win or not.”

“The goal coming into the year was to make the CFR,” he continued. “But, come November, you’re either going to the Canadian Finals, or you’re going to build for next year.”

Cornet filled his permit with a thirdplace cheque at the Grande Prairie Stompede in 2019. He finished the season bouncing between the Pro Rodeo Canada trail and stops on the Canadian Cowboys Association (CCA) schedule, where he fin ished 6th in the regular season standings.

“Then in 2021, I missed most of the shortened season because I was working on Heartland,” explains Cornet, who was an “Animal Wrangler” for the award-winning television series. “That was a whole differ ent experience.”

“I’d go to John Scott’s ranch to pick up the horses, take them to the set and get them ready for the actors. I’d give some rid ing lessons to the actors and actresses, too. You meet a lot of people and get to see how they make the show.”

His name was also in the credits of the mini-series, Under the Banner of Heaven, which was filmed in the Calgary area and debuted last April.

“I was also called a “Special Skilled Extra” in that one,” chuckles Cornet. “I was riding around in the background on the scenes. That was pretty good money to do both.”

Prior to meeting series lead actress Amber Marshall and others on the set of Heartland, perhaps the biggest star in his world was, and maybe still is, his dad, Stacy.

“I’ve been going to rodeos with my dad since I was born,” laughs the younger Cor net, who won back-to-back Alberta High School tie-down roping championships in 2016–’17. “He’s my coach and has helped me all my life. He gets horses for me and gets them started so I can rope off them. He always has calves for me to practise on. When I get in the box, he had some tips for

me. I think he likes it. He doesn’t want me to make the same mistakes he made. It’s a big advantage.”

And, while there’s admiration for his dad, who has won four CCA titles, don’t be fooled into thinking there’s no competition between the two.

“We were at a CCA rodeo in Lancer, Sask., this spring and I dropped my hooey,” relays Cornet. “He finished fourth, and I was fifth. That same weekend, I won my first pro rodeo in Lea Park, so I got to rub it in his face a little back at the trailer. The heckling that goes on is definitely a lot of fun.” c

Colt Cornet seconds away from winning the 2022 Lea Park Rodeo with a time of 8.9 seconds. Photo by CovyMoore.com/Covy Moore.

"I know your ID says 5' 8", but Boone & Crockett would measure you at 6' 3."

National High School Rodeo Finals

CANADIANS IN WYOMING

STORY BY TOM REARDON | PHOTOS BY DALLAS DUFFY

Olivia Parsonage

Just the address of the massive rodeo grounds in Gillette, Wyoming gives you a head’s up on what to expect; it’s located on Reata Drive just off Broken Spur Road.

The most anticipated rodeo of the year was staged at the Cam-Plex, a multi-use venue on the outskirts of Gil lette; pop. 30,000. It takes in more than 1,000 acres, including rodeo grounds, four competition arenas (the timed event arena and the roughstock arena simultaneously share the grandstand), a racetrack, exhibit hall, fine arts the atre, pavilions to house a wide array of vendors and trade shows, five campgrounds, a 21-acre park and picnic area. Throw in 2,000 horses, probably that many cattle, a few goats and 1,000 volunteers, and you have the makings for the National High School Rodeo Association Finals, which took place July 17 to 23 in this utopian setting.

Billed as the world’s biggest rodeo, there were 1,716 competitors, and to be there is no small deal. To qualify for the Nationals, one must finish in the top four in your event at your state or provincial finals. Being in the top four is a qualification, not an obligation, but 120 kids from Canada made the journey with a variety of game plans utilized.

Logistics vary; some went as a family and made a vacation out of it. In other cases, one parent made the trek while the other stayed home making hay or a living. Some stepped up and unofficially adopted a contestant for the week when both parents were obligated elsewhere.

Grady Young Faith Lundberg

Clay McNichol & Denim Ross

James Perrin

Cowboy Country

For accommodation, there were tents, trailers, campers, motorhomes and horse trailers with living quarters, but for the week of the Nationals, there’s a cottage industry in Gillette where locals rent out their motorhome or travel trailer, each one cleaned, levelled and blocked, waiting for your arrival. After two long rounds spread over six days with two performances daily (9 a.m. & 7 p.m.) in each arena, there were 15 Western Canadian high school students who earned a berth in the championship round.

Ryley Wilson of Chilliwack, B.C. led the way; she won the National Championship in the Reined Cow Horse competition and also qualified for the Girl’s Cutting short-go.

By event alphabetically, here are the kids that earned a berth in the Finals:

Barrel Racing: Olivia Parsonage, Maple Creek, Sask., and Aubrey Ross, Botha, Alta.

Boy’s Cutting: Riley Palmer, Nanton, Alta.

Breakaway Roping: Rylie Bondaroff, Arras, B.C.

Bull Riding: Grady Young, Tyvan, Sask.

Girl’s Cutting: Cassidy Hudacek, Tantal lon, Sask. (competing for Manitoba), Ryley Wilson, Chilliwack, B.C.

Goat Tying: Faith Lundberg, Nanton, Alta. Reined Cow Horse: Ryley Wilson, Chilliwack, B.C.

Saddle Bronc: James Perrin, Maple Creek, Sask., (riding for Alberta) and Jordan Cust, Sturgeon County, Alta.

Team Roping: Kavis Drake, Moose Jaw Sask., partnered with Colter Dunn, Ogema, Sask.; Clay McNichol, Okotoks, Alta., teamed with Denim Ross, Botha, Alta.

Tie-Down Roping: Connor Box, Corning, Sask.

In the final Team Standings, Texas, Utah and Wyoming finished 1,2,3. Alberta finished 20th, Saskatchewan was 22nd, B.C. was 27th and Manitoba finished 39th out of 49 teams.

In between performances there was a wide variety of seminars, demonstrations, attractions and activities on the grounds for the families of the competitors, plus a dance every night.

In High School Rodeo, even though they don’t know it at the time, the kids make lifelong friends. Just being there adds experi ence to their burgeoning rodeo careers with some life lessons thrown in.

Hats off, a big thank you and congratula tions to the parents, volunteers, families, and competitors themselves; none of this could happen without your dedication and sacrifices. c

Cowboy Benevolent Foundation

RODEO’S HELPING HAND

BY DIANNE FINSTAD

those annual cash injections are no longer happening. The Foundation has quietly continued to play its role on the payout end but now faces a crossroads.

“We’ve been drawing down on this for the last few years, without any major rev enue coming in,” says current Foundation Chair John Windwick. “So we’re working to figure out how we can start generating some revenue again, to keep this thing going,” he continued. “We’re talking casually with our friends at the Westerner. Is there the abil ity for us to partner with somebody in Red Deer and create one new event hosted at the Westerner, possibly around rodeo? So we’re thinking through that, and that’s what the new mandate will be in the short term.”

Jeff Robson, GM of the CPRA, has also served on the Cowboys’ Benevolent Foun dation board.

When rodeo earnings are your main source of income, the impact of injuries is magnified.

Being out of action means bills can pile up quickly, adding further stress to a tough situation. As independent operators, cow boys have no team fallback or sick pay.

However, thanks to the generosity of rodeo supporters, there has been a way for Canadian Professional Rodeo Associa tion (CPRA) competitors to get a financial helping hand when they are hurt. The Edmonton Rodeo Cowboys’ Benevolent Foundation was formed in 1992 as a joint effort between the CPRA, Edmonton Northlands and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. Injured athletes can apply for assistance from the fund while unable to compete to help tide them over.

Since its inception, the Foundation has paid out more than $1.25 million. The annual Black Tie Bingo, held just before CFR week when the event was in Edmonton,

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for our members,” says Robson. “I know it makes a big impact,” he said. “We’ve always been very appreciative of the people who came before us and the work they did on it — people like Ken Knowles of Northlands, and others, that were instrumental in getting the thing going. They did such a good job that we’ve been able to live off it for a long time.”

Sam Kelts is a cowboy who is very famil iar with the benefit the Benevolent Fund provides to the sport. The Stavely, Alta., saddle bronc rider applied for assistance this season after a horse posted him on the chute at Innisfail in mid-June.

“I broke my foot right at the arch, so it’s not ideal for bronc riding. I was fairly laid up,” says Kelts. “There wasn’t a whole heckuva lot I could do because I couldn’t walk very well.”

and 50-50 sales during the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton, kept the funds growing.

With the CFR change in venue to Red Deer and the demise of Northlands,

He also couldn’t spend time on a saddle horse because of the pressure it put on his injury. When he’s not on the rodeo trail, Kelts works in the horse business, trading and training, as well as odd jobs.

PHOTO BY WILDWOOD IMAGERY/CHANTELLE BOWMAN.

Sam Kelts about to get "posted" at 2022 Daines Ranch Rodeo on C5 Rodeo’s E27 Klings Classic

“We’re working to figure out how we can start generating some revenue again...”

So he couldn’t even do that while he was healing.

“Yea, I was pretty much useless,” admitted Kelts.

Kelts, also on the CPRA board, has turned to the Benevolent fund several times during his 20-year pro rodeo career.

“Sadly, I’ve utilized it too much! I’ve done it a couple of times for a couple of different shoulder surgeries and once for when I needed it after I whacked my head in Fort Madison. It’s helped me out quite a bit,” he explained. “When you go six months without making any money, it’s pretty hard on a guy’s bank account, especially if you’re trying to pay a mort gage. It definitely helps guys get back on their feet or at least stay alive during the time down if they’re unable to work.”

Windwick believes the Cowboys’ Benev olent Foundation plays a crucial role.

“Now that rodeos are back, we’re starting to see requests come in,” notes Windwick. “We have enough money sitting on the

sidelines; if we continued on this way, we would be fine for six or seven years with out raising any more money. But we also realize we must figure out the next steps and how to continue raising money. Or, we need to wrap it up and hand the dollars to the CPRA, Sport Medicine, or some group with the wherewithal and the time to make this happen.”

“The people on this board are still very passionate about rodeo,” he con tinues. “We’re also extremely proud of the legacy and the money we’ve raised and given back to cowboys and cow girls over the years. It’s a good story, and it’s the right thing to do for these cowboys that get injured. I’d hate to see it gone because it has made a differ ence in many people’s lives. Our biggest supporters are the people who’ve gone through the program. They can’t thank us enough.”

Kelts echoes that and is hopeful a way can be found to replenish the funds and keep the Foundation’s impor tant work going.

“We need to figure out what our path is,” adds Robson. “I think we all know it needs to be rejuvenated. It’s just, ‘how do we go about doing that?’ and engage our part ners,” he added.

“Now is the time to dig in and figure out what to do.” c

DEALERS

PHOTO COURTESY CPRA.

Jeff Robson, CPRA GM.

Miss Rodeo Canada

JAYDEN CALVERT, MISS RODEO CANADA 2022

On November 5th, 2021, I accomplished a major goal that a six-year-old Jayden set her sights on 17 years earlier. I only had my dream job for a year, so I imme diately vowed not to take an opportunity for granted and to do my best each day to serve my purpose with the same passion and grace as the representatives before me. I strived to approach each new adventure, eager to learn more about the sport I love and the people that bring our rodeos to life each year.

Canadian Professional Rodeo made a triumphant comeback in 2022. I felt fortu nate to be in the position to help welcome new and seasoned rodeo fans back to our nation’s most anticipated western events and to a few brand-new crowd favourites. There’s a certain magic that engulfs a community on rodeo weekend, and the excitement that precedes the arrival of our contestants and personnel is contagious! I still feel it every time I pull into a new place for the upcoming festivities, even after participating in almost 100 performances. Many rodeo fans have been craving the opportunity to claim a spot in their home town grandstands for over two years, and their enthusiasm fuelled my ambition!

To all of the committees, sponsors, vol unteers, cowboys, and cowgirls that brought Canadian Professional Rodeo back to our communities — thank you. I am eternally grateful, and six-year-old Jayden would be so proud.

May All Your Trails Be Happy, Jayden Calvert

Miss Rodeo Canada 2022

JAYDEN PHOTO CREDIT: LESLIE DAWN PHOTOGRAPHY

MARTINA HOLTKAMP, MISS STRATHMORE STAMPEDE 2022

Martina Holtkamp is no stranger to agri culture and the rodeo community. The 25-year-old grew up on a farm near Rim bey, Alta. After obtaining her Agribusiness degree from Olds College, she has worked at Farm Credit Canada since 2018.

Martina continues to be active in the rodeo community as a multi-event cowgirl competing in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and ladies cow riding. She is currently the secretary of the Rimbey Agri cultural Society. Martina is passionate about advocating for the sport of rodeo and is proud to do so as Miss Strathmore Stampede 2022.

Martina is proud to represent a sport that continues to grow and evolve every year while maintaining Western values and culture. She hopes to have the oppor tunity to promote our sport, our Canadian competitors, animal athletes and sup porting sponsors and keep our cowboy tradition of rodeo thriving as Miss Rodeo Canada 2023.

MACKENZIE SKEELS, MISS PONOKA STAMPEDE 2022

Mackenzie is the fourth generation to grow up on her family’s farm, Anchor D Simmen tals, in Rimbey, Alta. Her time on the farm lead her to pursue 4-H and the Young Cana dian Simmental Association (YCSA) where she discovered her love for promoting the western way of life.

Throughout her 12 years within the two organizations, she was honoured to win five national aggregate titles with the National YCSA and compete in the American Junior Simmental Association shows in 2016 and 2018 as the representative from Canada. Skills were gained through competing in regional level public speaking with 4-H, and being selected to attend the 2018 4-H Cana dian Citizenship Congress.

With her Media Studies and Professional Communications diploma, and current job with Direct Livestock Marketing Systems, Mackenzie utilizes the skills she has devel oped to further her passion and involvement in the rodeo and agriculture industry.

HARLEIGH ZACK, MISS RODEO WAINWRIGHT 2022

Harleigh was raised on a ranch west of Kits coty, Alta. Like other farm kids, she grew up immersed in the western lifestyle. Har leigh learnt how to adapt to any challenges thrown her way through her involvement in 4-H, rodeo, and competitive dance.

She graduated from MacEwan Univer sity with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Distinction and is now working towards obtaining her Chartered Profes sional Accountant designation. Harleigh believes that a best-lived life is one full of service and, therefore, constantly seeks opportunities to give back to the commu nity and organizations. She also enjoys travelling, spending time with friends and family, promoting health and fitness, and a good cup of coffee.

Harleigh’s goal is to help individuals who come to a rodeo as simple spectators leave as lifelong fans. She hopes to accom plish this on a larger scale by becoming Miss Rodeo Canada 2023. c

Specializing in Rodeo, Ranch & Humourous Fine Artworks!

“ It is not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters.”

Fall Comfort Food

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH SPICED CREAM CHEESE ICING

COURTESY CANOLA EAT WELL

Fall in love with these seasonal cupcakes perfect for the cool autumn weather. The spicy tastes of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg are combined with a pumpkin puree based batter in these Pumpkin Cupcakes and are made complete with a spiced cream cheese icing. Baking with canola oil has its health benefits. Canola oil is light, doesn’t inter fere with other flavours and reduces the trans and saturated fats in your baking, making it a heart healthy choice.

PHOTO COURTESY CANOLA EAT WELL

INGREDIENTS

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

•1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ¼ tsp nutmeg

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup canola oil

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ cup buttermilk

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin

SPICED CREAM CHEESE ICING

• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

• ¼ cup canola margarine

• 3 ½ - 4 cups confectioner's sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• ¼ tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

1. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat together brown sugar, canola oil and egg until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients, buttermilk and pureed pumpkin to the wet ingredients. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute.

4. Divide cupcake batter into the paper lined muffin pan. Bake cupcakes for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

5. Frost with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting Icing. Recipe follows.

SPICED CREAM CHEESE ICING

1. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and canola margarine until very smooth.

2. Add confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and beat to combine ingredients. Adjust confectioner’s sugar or milk quantities if necessary.

BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA

COURTESY ALBERTA PULSE GROWERS

Feijoada is a rich bean casserole, and a specialty of Brazil. Serve with potatoes or rice along with a fresh green salad for a taste of South America!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) canola oil, divided

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 celery stalks, sliced

• 2 sweet peppers, seeded & diced

• 1 large (or 2 small) yellow onion, chopped

• 1 ½ lb (750 g) boneless pork shoulder, cut into large cubes

• ½ lb (250 g) chorizo sausage, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) slices (see tips)

• 1 - 400 to 500 g smoked boneless ham, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

• 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) no salt added tomatoes, crushed

• 2 cups (500 mL) no salt added beef broth

• 2-3 large bay leaves

• 2 cans (14 oz/398 mL) no salt added black beans, drained & rinsed (yields 2 ½ cups/625 mL cooked black beans)

• 2 large oranges, zest & juiced

FOR GARNISH

• 2 oranges, cut into wedges

• chopped fresh cilantro

• hot sauce, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil over medium and sauté on ions, garlic, celery and pepper just until softened and fragrant. Place in a large casserole dish or crockpot.

2. Add remaining oil to skillet and brown the cubed pork shoulder, chorizo and ham in batches, placing in the casserole dish or crockpot.

3. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, beans, orange zest and juice to the cas serole dish or crockpot. Stir lightly, just to combine ingredients.

4. Place casserole dish, covered in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 1 1/2 hours. If using a crockpot, set on Medium for 3 to 4 hours.

TIPS

The chorizo sausage can be spicy; if you want a less spicy stew, use any smoked pork sausage. c

Winter Grazing on the Waldron

BY TERRI MASON

—Nolan Pharis

“Typically, we wean the last week in October. So, we keep our cows pretty close to home during that time. That’s where we do all our maintenance with the cows, like their shots and processing them. Then we make the move to the Waldron Grazing Co-op around Nov 1.

Leona and I trail the cattle to the Waldron — it’s probably a four to five-hour trail. I like to hold them at home as long as I can, but we also have to cross the Old Man River, which, if it’s starting to freeze up, we like to get across it before it does freeze up. So that’s a bit of an issue. So, our move time can vary until the middle of Novem ber, when we trail them there.

Usually, it’s just a two-person job. Sometimes if the river crossing is difficult,

we’ll ask people to help us. But gener ally, it’s just my wife and I that trail them over there. Our cows know the trip and the routine.

So, on the Waldron in the winter time, we have separate pastures, and they save us winter grass. They’ve cut the size of the pastures down, so we’re not just limited to one field. If we run out of grass in one field, we move on to the next field.

We have to supplement them, but we try not to until at least Christmas. We feed about eight to nine pounds of pellets for each cow every other day with the truck, which has a bale deck and a wheel, and we roll out pellets for them.

In all, about four or five people win ter graze plus supplement their herd. There are others that just winter graze. We’ve tried different things, like using

tubs which is less maintenance and trav elling, but we find that giving the cows pellets works best for us. And just to eliminate travel time, we do it every other day and feed them double.

The cows have to get used to the pellets, but that double ration seems to work for them. And generally, they’re not waiting at the gates. They’re out grazing when we come on the second day.

Generally, in the wintertime, we look after our own cattle. If there are any prob lems, we have people we can call on, to help us doctor, whatever. But usually, our cows are not near the corrals in the winter time. So if an animal needs help, we rope them and help them out.

Now coming home can vary. Usually, we come home between March 15–31. Usu ally, for the trail home, we get help for the river crossing because it can be difficult. The trip home is slow because it’s an uphill gain, and they’re coming home heavy as it’s just before calving. They start calv ing on Apr 12.

Some years we’ve had to swim the cows across the river; some years, they didn’t get their feet wet. Sometimes we cross on ice, and sometimes the ice breaks. So, it’s a bit of a challenge. One year, the snow was too deep, and we had the truck them home; only once, though, and we’ve had shares for close to 20 years — and that’s what works for us.” c

AT A GLANCE

NAME: Elkhorn Stock Ranch

OWNERS: Nolan and Leona Pharis (fourth generation)

NEAREST TOWN: Lundbreck, Alta.

ESTABLISHED: 1918

ELEVATION: 5,000 feet (1,520M)

ANNUAL PRECIPITATION: 24 inches (610mm)

SIZE: Enough (includes some of the Waldron, deeded land, leased lands and forestry permits)

BREED OF CATTLE: Red and Black Angus

HERD SIZE: Enough

BRAND: 3 Reverse L Quarter Circle; Cattle, RH

Leona and Nolan Pharis

Pasture Doctoring

DON’T DISTURB THE PEACE

BY DYLAN BIGGS

In the Letters to the Editor col umn in the Aug/Sept of Canadian Cowboy Country, Ken Cameron asked in his letter titled Gypsy Sue, “Do people make the horse or do horses make the man?” Ken’s answer; “I’m on the horse’s side.”

It’s a good question. After a life spent working with cattle, horses and dogs, I agree with Ken because ultimately, any thing we do with them starts as our idea as far as I can gather. We are typically the ones asking things of animals, and if we ask the right way, we can shape things up for suc cess. As Ray Hunt would say, “We can get our idea to become their idea.”

What the relationship with your horse, dog or cattle is like is also dependent to an extent on the personality and potential of the animal. Not all people are the same, nor are all horses, dogs or cattle; they are all unique. So quite possibly, the degree of

success we experience working with ani mals is a combination of man and beast.

Then there is the question: What defines success with livestock? Is it simply just getting the job done? Is it getting the job done quickly? Is it getting the job done, and nobody’s the worse for wear? I used to feel I had succeeded just by getting the job done despite how it was done. I was and probably still am guilty of just focusing on the job at hand and intent on getting it done in a timely fashion, and when things start to go sideways, it’s easy to get frus trated and pushy.

I think it’s fair to say that virtually all of us feel pressured for time on a day-to-day basis — I know I do. That list of daily and seasonal “must do” things never seems to shrink. “I just need two weeks, and then I’ll be caught up,” and 20 years later, that two weeks is still staring you in the face. It took me years to appreciate the cumulative, sustained ripple effects my conduct around

stock today can have on jobs down the road. The ripples can be negative or positive.

All this is to say that when shaping things up for success, pasture roping isn’t simply a function of how we approach the job today, but how we approach and con duct ourselves around our stock every day — it all adds up. Ultimately, the question of defining success is something everyone will have to answer for themselves.

This philosophy leads me to the pasture and the circumstance where we have an animal that needs treatment for pink eye or foot rot (or you name it), and roping/ restraining the animal on site is the best option. In this circumstance, how we have shaped things up around our cattle and horses over the preceding time will deter mine to a great extent what is made of this job today. I have pasture-roped cattle for 37 years now, and I can guarantee you I am far from highly skilled, but my horse and I get the job done in a slow, deliberate, steady

fashion. I used to approach pas ture doctoring as if it was a timed event. While my antics were exciting for me, they inevitably caused quite a disturbance. The greater the number of cattle that needed doctoring, the greater the disturbance.

Chasing cattle at high speed doesn’t calm them down. There is also the reality that the faster things are moving, the greater the risk for unintended con sequences. The stories of the wrecks people have endured, risking life and limb galloping flat-out over the rock-strewn badger and gopher hole-infested ground, just doesn’t have the appeal that it used to. Being 62 may also have something to do with me being more risk-averse than when I was in my 20s.

When we are pasture roping, we are essentially predators in pursuit of prey. Most evolutionary history is about us as hunters, and the instinct to pursue and capture is deeply ingrained. As with any instinct, it lingers below the surface of our conscious awareness and can be instantly triggered. The prey we chase also has a deeply ingrained instinct to flee — a survival mechanism. No wonder they get disturbed when we chase them! Too much chasing, and before you know it, the entire herd starts to react like a bunch of

panic-stricken deer. Doctoring is a reality of livestock husbandry, and it is within this context that we rightly proceed.

I approach pasture doctoring today with the idea of roping an animal from a stand ing position or at a walk. I spend the time it takes to get the animal positioned for the shot I want. A lot of times, it is just a mat ter of getting the animal to stop and look at you. I always have dogs with me, and I can often place them strategically to distract the animal just enough to shape a good shot.

If it’s a nervous animal that won’t let you get within range, I take the time to walk it to where other animals are congregated, say at a water hole or the salt/mineral tubs,

and it allows me to get closer and shape a shot. If the herd is spread out, I will put a few cattle together to help me get within range. If I have another rider with me, they can assist strate gically to get the “pause” that I need from the animal or help them shape their shot.

As discussed in the previ ous article, cattle know when you are looking at them, so the more unconcerned, calm and collected — the better. If it’s a neck rope shot that succeeds, I routinely ride along with the animal once it’s roped to slow it down and slowly stop it. An abrupt stop/jerk and lack of oxy gen will get them worked up much more than a gradual stopping process.

The benefit of this approach to pasture roping is that it causes less distress to the animal you’ve roped, to the rest of the herd and less risk of injury to the horse and rider. The main herd often won’t even scatter but remain watching, and there are times when we rope in a herd where some animals are lying down and remain down the whole time. The other benefit to this approach is that if the treated animal needs treating a sec ond time, it is much easier to approach than if it was run down at high speed the first time.

Until next time — the best of luck to all of you pasture roping doctors. c

PHOTO BY ANN CATZEFLIS

Dylan treating a yearling heifer with his horse, Ginny The herd is curious, yet undisturbed.

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A Bad Half Hour

BY CHARLES “BADGER” CLARK

Wonder why I feel so restless; Moon is shinin' still and bright, Cattle all is restin' easy, But I just kaint sleep tonight. Ain't no cactus in my blankets, Don't know why they feel so hard 'Less it's Warblin' Jim a-singin' "Annie Laurie" out on guard. "Annie Laurie" wish he'd quit it! Couldn't sleep now if I tried. Makes the night seem big and lonesome, And my throat feels sore inside. How my Annie used to sing it! And it sounded good and gay Nights I drove her home from dances When the east was turnin' gray. Yes, "her brow was like the snowdrift" And her eyes like quiet streams, "And her face" I still kin see it Much too frequent in my dreams; And her hand was soft and trembly That night underneath the tree, When I couldn't help but tell her She was "all the world to me."

But her folks said I was "shif'less," "Wild," "unsettled," they was right, For I leaned to punchin' cattle And I'm at it still tonight.

And she married young Doc Wilkins Oh my Lord! but that was hard! Wish that fool would quit his singin' "Annie Laurie" out on guard!

Oh, I just kaint stand it thinkin' Of the things that happened then. Good old times, and all apast me!

Never seem to come again My turn? Sure. I'll come a-runnin'. Warm me up some coffee, pard But I'll stop that Jim from singin' "Annie Laurie" out on guard.

Fire Side by Fred Lawrence Miller (May 24, 1955–Nov 3, 2012) was excerpted from his only book of poetry, Leftovers, Latigoes & Lies. Fred was a popular outfitter, noted mule man and highly-regarded cowboy poet from Alberta